Germany

Over the past two decades, Germany’s global role has undergone a remarkable transformation. Following its peaceful reunifica­tion in 1990, Germany was on track to become an economic giant that had little in the way of foreign policy.

When the Berlin-based group Transparency International released its annual ranking of international corruption levels in December 2014, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded with a blistering statement.

Climate talks have largely failed to curb rising temperatures, but bottom-up initiatives featuring subnational actors hold great promise if coordinated effectively. Varun Sivaram and David Livingston argue that California and Germany can “lead from between” to bridge international and subnational climate action.

In his discussion of German foreign policy’s supposed drift eastward, Hans Kundnani (“Leaving the West Behind,” January/February 2015) suggests that Germany has resisted imposing sanctions on Russia over its undeclared war with Ukraine—a sign, in his view, that Germany might once again desert the West in a flirtation with Russia.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was a strategic shock for Germany. Suddenly, Russian aggression threatened the European security order that Germany had taken for granted since the end of the Cold War.

Christian Schaller and Johannes Thimm analyze Germany's policy priorities at the ITU conference in Busan, South Korea, arguing that Germany will go to Busan opposed to the expansion of the ITU mandate, but in search of ways to increase the ITU's technical capabilities to broaden access.

President of the United States Barack Obama and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel held a press conference on May 2, 2014. They discussed the situation in Ukraine, potential additional sanctions against Russia, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), and negotiations on rules for intelligence collection.

With the economic structural reforms enacted in many southern European countries now beginning to show results, German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble joins Robert Kimmitt of the American Council of Germany to discuss the current state of the European economic recovery.

With the economic structural reforms enacted in many southern European countries now beginning to show results, German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble joins Robert Kimmitt of the American Council of Germany to discuss the current state of the European economic recovery.

With the economic structural reforms enacted in many southern European countries now beginning to show results, German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble joins Robert Kimmitt of the American Council of Germany to discuss the current state of the European economic recovery.

"There are several lessons that Germany could convey. The first is that reconciliation need not conform to the East Asian ideal. There is a tendency in East Asia to see reconciliation as perfect peace and harmony -- and therefore unattainable -- but Germany's was long, messy, and has not yet ended."

"Without a strong and assertive Germany, there can be no strong and assertive EU in the world. And without a more self-confident EU, the liberal global order―built and underpinned for decades by the United States―might not be sustainable. Germany must start to invest more in an order from which it has benefited so much over the decades."

"For the first time, German public schools are offering classes in Islam to primary school students using state-trained teachers and specially written textbooks, as officials try to better integrate the nation's large Muslim minority and counter the growing influence of radical religious thinking. The classes offered in Hesse State are part of a growing consensus that Germany, after decades of neglect, should do more to acknowledge and serve its Muslim population if it is to foster social harmony, overcome its aging demographics, and head off a potential domestic security threat."